Notifications of action items in messages

• US 10,623,364 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2017
• Issued: 04/14/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Dotan-Cohen, Dikla, Somech, Haim, Priness, Ido
• Primary Examiner(s): Dalencourt, Yves
• Application Number:
  US15/623,300
• Publication Number:
  US 20180083908A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,035 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/103 Workflow collaboration or project management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

In some implementations, a method includes extracting completion criteria of an action item and parameters of the completion criteria from a message portion of a user message between users. In response to determining, from sensor data provided by one or more sensors associated with a user, the user practices a routine, a routine-related aspect is generated from a user routine model of the user for the routine. It is inferred that at least one of the extracted completion criteria of the action item is unsatisfied based on the extracted parameters and the identified routine-related aspect. Based on the inferring, a notification is provided to at least one user associated with the action item.

Claims

1. A computerized system comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more computer storage media storing computer-useable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

extracting completion criteria of an action item and parameters of the completion criteria from a message portion of a user message between users;

in response to determining, from sensor data provided by one or more sensors associated with a user, the user practices a routine, identifying a routine-related aspect corresponding to a user routine model of the routine;

inferring at least one of the extracted completion criteria of the action item is unsatisfied based on the extracted parameters and the identified routine-related aspect; and

based on the inferring, providing a notification to at least one user associated with the action item.

2. The computerized system of claim 1, wherein the at least one user comprises a sender of the user message and the action item corresponds to a task to be completed by at least one recipient of the user message.

3. The computerized system of claim 1, wherein the operations comprise:

extracting completion criteria for a plurality of action items and parameters of the completion criteria from the message portion of the user message between users;

identifying a first action item of the plurality of action items in the notification based on determining at least one of the extracted completion criteria for the first action item is unsatisfied; and

refraining from identifying a second action item of the plurality of action items in the notification based on determining each of the extracted completion criteria for the second action item is satisfied.

4. The computerized system of claim 1, wherein the operations comprise:

extracting a plurality of action items from a plurality of user messages between users;

identifying a subset of the plurality of action items based on parameters of the plurality of action items extracted from the user messages, the subset including the action item; and

generating the notification based on determining at least one completion criteria for each action item in the subset is unsatisfied.

5. The computerized system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise identifying user interaction data generated by the user in association with the user message, wherein the inferring is based on comparing the identified user interaction data with the identified routine-related aspect.

6. The computerized system of claim 1, wherein the providing of the notification to the at least one user comprises transmitting the notification to a user device.

7. The computerized system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

updating one or more of the parameters of the extracted completion criteria based on analyzing user activity data, and the inferring that the at least one of the extracted completion criteria of the action item is unsatisfied uses the updated parameters.

8. The computerized system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

identifying user interaction data generated by the user in association with display of the user message;

determining the user interaction data corresponds to the routine of the user;

determining a time to present the notification based on the determining the user interaction data corresponds to the routine; and

updating the determined time to present the notification based on detecting additional user interactions by the user with the user message after the determining of the time.

9. The computerized system of claim 1, wherein the user message is an email or an instant message.

10. The computerized system of claim 1, wherein the extracting of the completion criteria of the action item comprises extracting a timing attribute of the action item from text of the message portion of the user message.

11. The computerized system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

extracting an additional action item from the user message, wherein the action item has a first due date and the additional action item has a second due date and the notification corresponds to the action item based on the first due date; and

providing an additional notification to the user, the additional notification corresponding to the additional action item based on the second due date.

12. The computerized system of claim 1, wherein the notification comprises a first reminder of the user message based on the completion criteria of the action item, and a second reminder of an additional user message based on completion criteria of an additional action item extracted from the additional user message.

13. A computerized method comprising:

extracting an action item from a message portion of a user message between users;

determining, from sensor data provided by one or more sensors associated with a user, an instance of the user practicing a routine;

inferring at least one of completion criteria of the action item is unsatisfied based on the identified instance of the user practicing the routine and one or more parameters of the at least one completion criteria; and

based on the inferring, transmitting a notification to at least one user associated with the action item.

14. The computerized method of claim 13, wherein the at least one user comprises a sender of the user message and the action item corresponds to a task to be completed by at least one recipient of the user message.

15. The computerized method of claim 13, comprising:

extracting a plurality of action items from the message portion of the user message between users;

identifying a first action item of the plurality of action items in the notification based on determining at least one of completion criteria for the first action item is unsatisfied; and

refraining from identifying a second action item of the plurality of action items in the notification based on determining each completion criteria for the second action item is satisfied.

16. The computerized system of claim 13, comprising:

extracting a plurality of action items from a plurality of user messages between users;

identifying a subset of the plurality of action items based on parameters of the plurality of action items extracted from the user messages, the subset including the action item; and

generating the notification based on determining at least one completion criteria for each action item in the subset is unsatisfied.

17. The computerized system of claim 13, further comprising after the extracting of the action item, updating the action item based on analyzing at least one user message between users, wherein the inferring the at least one of completion criteria of the action item is unsatisfied is based on the updated action item.

18. The computerized system of claim 13, wherein the identifying the instance of the user practicing the routine comprises determining the user is currently engaged in the routine.

20. The one or more computer storage devices of claim 16, wherein the at least one user comprises a sender of the user message and the action item corresponds to a task to be completed by at least one recipient of the user message.

19. One or more computer storage devices storing computer-useable instructions that, when executed by the one or more computing devices, cause the one or more computing devices to perform a method comprising:

extracting completion criteria of an action item and parameters of the completion criteria from a message portion of a user message between users;

in response to determining, from sensor data provided by one or more sensors associated with a user, the user practices a routine, identifying a routine-related aspect corresponding to a user routine model of the routine;

inferring at least one of the extracted completion criteria of the action item is unsatisfied based on the extracted parameters and the identified routine-related aspect; and

based on the inferring, providing a notification to at least one user associated with the action item.